One Hundred
by Firefly Fairy In A Bottle
Summary: Hey! It's Firefly's 100 theme challenge: Invader Zim Style! Contains heavy amounts of ZaDR, with a side dishes of GaGR and RaPR. Not in order. #65 is up! To Zim, fitting in seemed to be the most important thing in the world. In reality, it was.
1. 67: Playing the Melody ll ZaTR

**AN- Yay! It's the 100 theme challenge! So. . . I've decided to attack the 100 theme challenge, Invader Zim style! There will be a LOT of ZaDR, so prepare yourself. . . Also, I won't be doing them in order, but rather, picking them by random. Enjoy!**

**Title- Playing the Melody**

**Number- 67**

**Summary-** **A song of Irken nature should be a song of death and destruction. Slight ZaTR.**

**Words- 591**

**Inspiration- This one is just random. Just what popped into my head.**

**Notes- The song that Tak sings is heavily based on the Vocaloid song "Rugrats Theory." I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy creepypasta. But if you don't. . . Be warned: you will never look at Rugrats in the same way again.**

There was a time, so very long ago, when they were not enemies, but almost– not quite– friends. Neither remembered it clearly, and weren't even sure it had ever happened. Oh, but it had. There was a time, fifty-seven years ago, when they had a brief understanding; when they saw eye to eye; when they stood on common ground.

Of course, the only common ground they could ever share was their love of destruction.

It had been a warm day on Devastis; warmer than most. It was Tak's second year in training to become part of the Irken Elite. But now was a rare time of leisure– a break. Or, truthfully, more along the lines of waiting. Tak was inside one of the planet's testing buildings, waiting in line to go through the procedure herself. As it looked like, she would be the last of day. No one was behind her in line, and now she stood alone, waiting for her turn.

Waiting all day had severely dwindled her patience, and she tapped her foot hurriedly to try and ease her irritation. When that failed, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and mumbled some carefully chosen words. Beautiful and melodious in nature, the words quickly blossomed into a ballad of sorts. It was one she knew well, one she had grown up with.

_Welcome to my paradise_

_That's slowly crumbling away_

_Now that I've opened my eyes_

_Will you choose to not stay?_

_It's getting hard for them to breathe_

_Their tears choking them to death_

_They shouldn't have existed_

_Never taken a single breath_

"Is that 'The Song of Devastation'?"

She had hardly acknowledged the soft sound of the door opening and shutting, along with the sound of rushed footsteps, resting at her side. The sounds had ended as soon as they had came about. But now a voice plowed through her serenade, and Tak opened her eyes to take note of the Irken beside her. He was a inch shorter than her, with large magenta eyes. There was nothing special about him, he looked like every other Irken she had ever seen.

"Yes. What of it?"

The other Irken stared her down, magenta eyes snapping open and shut. "It's my favorite. I didn't think anyone else liked it. They should, though. It's a beautiful song."

Tak almost smiled as she nodded, feeling her ends of her lips twitching. "Agreed. I'm surprised more Irkens don't enjoy it."

"Don't enjoy it?" he cried. "Most of them don't know it at all!" He threw his hands up in the air, scowling. "Pitiful. . ." He made several infuriated grunting noises. Tak held back a soft chuckles, holding a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. What a fool he was. . . But it was endearing, in an odd sense.

"Next soldier," the Control Brain said in a deep monotone. The door opened automatically, and Tak stepped towards it, but not quite inside.

She stood there, on the threshold, her body still as she silently made her choice. How unimportant it felt– though at the same time, something about the silent tension, the waiting, excited her. Slowly, she turned around an smiled at the magenta-eyed Irken. "By the way," she said cautiously, yet firmly, "my name is Tak."

And so she stepped past the threshold, the metal doors automatically shutting behind her.

She could have sworn she heard him shout, "I am _Zim_!" before the doors shut.


	2. 3: Light ll RaPR

**Title- Light**

**Number- 3**

**Summary- The story of how two light bulbs were completely forgotten. Slight RaPR.**

**Words- 641**

**Inspiration- I have no idea. It just popped out of nowhere again.**

**Notes- This was actually gonna be a lot different. . . I don't know how it turned into this. . . But I like it.**

"A little to the left! . . . No no no, _my_ left! Now to the right. . . Now just reach up and. . . no! You have to _stretch_! Ugh, are you even _listening_?"

And with that, the pile of Irken soldiers tumbled to the tile floor. Red sighed in exasperation, bringing two long fingers up to massage his forehead. His head was_ killing_ him. Their top crewmates had tried, and tried again, and _again_, and yet they still couldn't accomplish the most simple task _ever_. . .

Screw in a stupid light bulb.

Red groaned.

Yes, their highest level Irken crewmates couldn't screw in a stinking _light bulb_. It was painful to watch; the way the stacked up on each other's shoulders to reach the high ceiling, how they swayed from side to side, losing their balance, and how the one on the very top stretched his arm to reach the dead bulb, only for the tower to all come toppling down again.

No, they didn't have any latters. At least, not _portable_ ones. It sort of shocked Red that their species has the highest advances in alien technology, and yet they don't have a simple latter to screw in a light bulb. And that they were using light bulbs in the first place.

Almost identical Irken soldiers rose from the ground, some rubbing their heads, others groaning in pain. Red frowned. "Just do it again!"

One of the crewmates piped up with a, "But, sir!"

"I _said_, do it again."

"We. . . ," the soldier hesitated, "we're not tall enough!"

Red frowned. "Of course you're not! But all the work is saved for the short ones. Like you. Now do it again!"

"But the ceiling is too high for us to reach! And we've tried _so many_ times!"

Red shrugged. "It's not my job."

"But you and Tallest Purple are the only ones who can reach it!"

Red narrowed his eyes at the soldier, glaring down at him. "Do you _dare_ defy your Tallest?"

The crewmate fumbled over his words. "N-no—well, I-I-I. . . um—"

"I'll let you know that Purple and I are very busy doing. . . doing. . . uh. . . ," he turned to his co-ruler, who was slouched in a chair behind him. "Say, what _are_ we doing?"

Purple lifted his head up slightly, crying, "Nothing! You're bossing around the crewmates while I do absolutely _nothing_! How do you think that makes me feel? Huh? _Huh?_"

Red sneered. "Gosh, no need to get so defensive. Go find something to do on your own."

"But what if I don't _want_ to do stuff on my own?" Purple objected, rising from his seat and coming face-to-face with Red. "What if I wanna eat snacks with you?"

"Vi, I don't have _time_ for this—"

"You just don't care, do you? Why can't you pay attention to _me_ for once, huh?"

"I pay attention to you all the ti—"

"It's always, 'Irken crewmates, Irken crewmates, Zim, Zim, Zim," isn't it?"

At this point, Red seemed genuinely confused, and not to mention a little pissed off. "What? No it's not!"

"If you would just listen for once—"

"_Listen?_ You're the one who needs to listen to what you're saying, Vi!"

"Scar, I don't think you're being reasonable—"

"I _always_ pay attention to you!"

"Not _today_, you didn't!"

"But that was—"

The group of Irken soldiers just stared at their leaders in strained silence. They felt oddly entertained for a few moments, until one crewmate suggested something that shifted their attention spans completely. "Wanna go steal from their snack hoard?" Nods and delighted grins were shared as the small crowd rushed off to what could likely be their death wish.

No one ever remembered to change the light bulb.


	3. 61: Fairytale ll GaGR

**Title- Fairytale**

**Number- 61**

**Summary- Gaz never believed in fairytales. Dib, on the other hand. . . GaGiR.**

**Words- 1,253**

**Inspiration- The song "Today Was a Fairytale" by Taylor Swift. I was really stuck on this until I listened to that song, and then it all came flowing out of nowhere.**

**Notes- Can any of you guys catch the undertones relating to all of the movies Dib's watching?**

**Also, I have a little poll of my page for which IZ story I should write. It's a new one, so if any of you voted on the old one. . . vote on this new one. It has lots more options.**

Gaz never believed in fairytales. They were all full of princes and fairies, white horses and talking squirrels, first kisses and love at first sight, true love and happily ever after. She didn't believe in any of it. It was all just a bunch of hooey to make little kids happy so they'd forget about the monsters under their bed.

Dib was a different story. Hell, Dib believed in everything, so why not add fairytales onto the list? Fairytales were one of the things that started his paranormal obsession, with fairies, witches, trolls, and magic spells. And if those were all real, he argued, who's not to say love at first sight and happily ever after exists, too? And get this: they actually _did_ help him forget about the monsters under his bed. So at least there was one upside to all of this.

"Dib, did you eat the last cookie?" Gaz stormed into the room, voice sharp and dripping with venom. She stopped short not far from the doorway. "Are you watching _Beauty and the Beast_?"

Dib looked at her, but his eyes looked a little. . . glazed over. "Yes. . . ?" he said awkwardly.

Gaz walked over, slightly leaning against the arm of the chair. Right now Belle and the Beast were arguing about. . . something. Gaz could've cared less. "Why?" she asked simply.

Dib frowned. "I-I don't know!" he objected. "I just felt like watching some Disney movies."

Gaz raised an eyebrow. "_Some?_"

Dib pointed to the stack of DVDs next to him. Gaz, bothered by his odd behavior, decided to take a look at the small tower. She looked at the movies one by one, reading the names out in her head. _The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Tarzan, Hercules. . . _and _Lilo and Stitch_.

And then it hits her.

. . . Her brother needs to get his head out of the clouds.

"I'm going on a walk," she announces, standing up and abandoning the scattered DVD cases.

Dib glances back at her at her with glazed eyes as she slams the door.

* * *

Gaz scuffed her feet against the gray pavement. She hated those fairy tales; with those charming princes and useless damsels-in-distress. Gaz clenched her jaw. She didn't need saving, especially by a nutjob like her brother. She was perfectly capable of saving herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something shine. Turning towards the light, she found herself looking down at a lime green dog, his chest adorning a zipper that glinted in the bright moonlight. She just stares at him for a minute, each second seeming slower than the last.

Finally, he spoke. "Hi!"

Gaz frowned, snapping her eyes shut. She had hardly even noticed she had opened them. "Hi. . . . You're Zim's dog, right?"

The dog nods enthusiastically, smiling brightly. "Yep! My name's GIR!"

Gaz wasn't quite sure why she didn't ignore him. She was even less sure why she responded with, "My name is Gaz. . ." She walked ahead, hoping to get rid of him.

She felt a tug on the hem of her dress.

. . . No such luck. She turned back to him, glowering darkly.

GIR wasn't fazed in the least bit. "You're the big-headed boy's sister, right?"

Gaz scowled. "Yeah. . . what of it?"

What GIR said was hardly on subject. He moved his grip from Gaz's dress to her hand and said, "You're pretty!"

The statement takes Gaz by surprise—it really shouldn't, but it does. No one really ever called her pretty—when they did, it was just some adult trying to get on her father's good side. But they never really _meant_ it. But the way GIR had said it. . . so blunt, so off-topic. . . could he be telling the truth?

. . . No. No way. Gaz looked like an absolute mess, and she knew it. He was just being nice. Or stupid. . . probably the latter.

"Don't say stupid things," she said, rocketing her hand out of the robot's grasp. "You don't know what you're talking about."

GIR just stared at her blankly for a few drawn out seconds, before repeating, "You're pretty. . . !"

Gaz growled, not liking the pounding in her chest. That wasn't her heart, was it? It couldn't be! Everyone in Gaz's class claimed she was heartless, so avidly that Gaz herself believed it to be true.

GIR smiles at her, and it was cute and sweet and for a moment Gaz stupidly questioned if she was actually on Earth. God, was she turning into her _brother_? Because she _must_ have been going insane!

GIR's smile only grew. "Aww. . . yur face is all red!" He grabbed her cheeks and stretched them out, grinning wildly. "Now you just gotta smile!"

Gaz let out another feral growl. She wanted to bash his head in; throw him halfway across the planet, but her head was spinning and her apparently-existent heart was beating fast, making it extremely hard to think straight.

So in some fit of insanity-induced rage, she yanked the puppy-dog hood down and smashed her face against the cold metal. It was like a dozen sparkly fireworks going off all at once; and frankly, that simile would've normally made Gaz feel completely sick to her stomach. But right now she was far too focused on how wrong this was—from a certain angle, it looked like she was kissing a mutated green dog. (When in reality, she was kissing an idiotic yet disturbingly loveable little robot.)

The only thought that ran through her mind was, _Fuck society._

She parted from him, still gripping the front of the green costume. Upon realization of what she had just done, she promptly shoved the robot to the ground and dashed off in the direction of her house.

* * *

The door swung open, before slamming shut. Dib jumped and turned around, exhaling when he spotted Gaz pressed against the door, breathing hard. He had been so caught up in Ariel's musical number that. . . oh, nevermind.

"Gaz?" he asked, suddenly distressed by the somewhat terrified look on his sister's face. "What's wrong?"

Gaz took a few gasping breaths before giving Dib a lopsided smile. "Nothing. . . everything's fine."

Dib just stared at her in shocked silence as she walked by him and plopped down onto the couch. Gaz. . . was smiling? The words _Who are you and what have you done with Gaz? _ lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he was too shocked to piece together a comprehendible sentence. All that came out was, "Who—whaa—huh?"

Gaz looked to Dib, the out-of-place smile never fading. "You know, Dib. . . maybe you're not all that wrong about this fairytale stuff."

If Dib wasn't already convinced that Gaz had been possessed, abducted by aliens, or given some sort of strange potion that made her act extremely un-Gaz-like. . . well, he was sure of it now. "I. . . wh-_what_?"

The smile finally faded as Gaz's tone grew slightly. . . angry? Scolding? Dib couldn't tell. "But you can't just sit back and watch, Dib. You have to take charge. A _chance_."

Dib quirked an eyebrow. Well, at least she wasn't smiling anymore. . . "Wh-what do you mean?"

Gaz narrowed her eyes at her brother, suddenly very serious. "Go talk to Zim," she snapped.

Dib swallowed nervously. Now _this_ was the Gaz he knew.


	4. 13: Misfortune ll ZaDR

**Title- Misfortune**

**Number- 13**

**Summary- The universe hated them. That was the only explanation for it. ZaDR.**

**Words- 1,065**

**Inspiration- It's just something I've always liked, okay?**

**Notes- Finally, ZaDR! I wonder how many favorites this will get on deviantART. . .**

The universe hated Dib. That was the only explanation for it.

The day had started off normal enough. He woke up, got dressed in his usual outfit, and headed downstairs. Gaz had finished off the cereal, so he got stuck with oatmeal. He grabbed his lunch and made it out the door just in time to catch the bus. Sure, he had to sit by himself (for some reason, Gaz wanted to walk), but besides that, things were going pretty well.

But then _it_ happened. Or rather, _he_ happened.

_Zim_. The stupid green kid always put a damper on Dib's day. Zim was loud, arrogant, overzealous, hot-headed, and didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. All _that_ was just a disaster waiting to happen. And it seemed that whenever it _did_ happen, Dib was caught in the hurricane.

Like today.

It had only been a week since Tak had returned. This time, she was definitely out for revenge. Unfortunately, the lack of a working ship (she had jacked one from the planet she landed on, then crashed it on Earth) or SIR robot really got in the way of that. All she had left was her disguise, which functioned just as well as it had before. When she discovered Dib had her ship, she demanded to have it returned at once. Dib had obliged, wanting to keep his limbs intact.

There was only one problem—the ship wasn't fully functional. It hadn't been repaired enough to handle space travel. Tak tried, tried, and tried again to get past Earth's atmosphere, but it was all in vain. By the time she gave up, she declared the ship a "piece of trash" and gave it back to Dib. Needless to say, the ship was badly damaged after all of those crash landings, but it was still fixable—so he hoped.

After kicking a few unfortunate humans out of their house, she moved in next to Dib and transferred back into their classroom. Now she sat behind Dib again, looking out the window thoughtfully.

Zim had been furious, of course. Tak wasn't to be trusted, he claimed—and to be honest, Dib believed him. Or more like, agreed with him. But as time went on, it appeared Tak didn't quite care to destroy Earth—the Tallests didn't want it anyway, she claimed. (You can only imagine the reaction this elicted from Zim.)

And then it started. Tak would sit with Dib and Gaz at lunch, walk home with them (which made sense, considering they were neighbors), have dinner with them, spend the night in Gaz's room. . .

The more time Dib spent with Tak, the more irritable Zim was. Part of Dib wondered why Zim should care, while another part didn't care itself.

So, to make a long story short, Zim was already in a bad mood. There were a number of things that could have made Zim's mood overheat and burst into smoke and flames.

What happened, as it turned out, was _not_ one of those things.

"Tak. . . ," Dib mumbled warily, taking a nervous glance at the taller girl. "You know Zim's. . . not happy with you. . . right?"

Tak sneered, giving a slight roll of her eyes. "Obviously." She turned to Dib, Gaz scowling as the heavily-disguised Irken turned away from her. "To be honest, I'm not too fond of him right now, either."

Dib bit his lip. "I know, it's just—"

"What?" Tak interrupted, narrowing her eyes at Dib. "You want me to call him over here to we can apologize for trying to _destroy_ each other?"

"What? No—"

She turned back to Gaz. "In that case, those two should kiss and make up, too. Wouldn't you say so, Gaz?"

Gaz grinned. Holy crap, had hell frozen over? "Oh, _yes_," she agreed, holding back a devilish snicker.

"_Gaz!_" cried Dib.

Tak gazed across the playground. Dib could have sworn he saw her smirk. "_Zim!_" she shouted out, waving him over to their small group. Zim flinched and turned their way, instantly glaring daggers at Tak. Tak frowned and glared back, shouting out, "Get your unworthy ass over here!"

That was it. Zim curled his hands up into fists, nearing the trio at a quick pace. His black boots made forced sounds as he stomped against the blacktop. His teeth were bared and his eyes were narrowed ever-so dangerously.

"_Tak!_" Dib all-but squeaked, mustering the power to glare at her.

But it was too late for objections. Zim had already reached the brick wall, and now he was upon them, snapping, "What do you want, _Tak_?" He spat out the female name as if it were a curse.

"Dib wants to talk to you," was Tak's immediate response.

Zim started to say something along the lines of, "What do you need to talk about, _Dib_-Human?", as he walked towards Dib; but he never got to finish, because as he was walking towards Dib, Tak (that _hideous_ new girl) decided to stick her foot out so that Zim went flying forward, falling on top of Dib. And as fate would have it, he ended up smashing his lips against the human's in the process.

Dib reaction was almost—_almost!_—instant. He shoved Zim off of him, jumping up and screaming like a howler monkey. "You. . . you _wanted_ that to happen!" he screeched, pointing an accusing finger at Tak.

The indigo-haired girl gave him a vile smirk. "Did I, now?"

Zim, on the other hand, was unusually silent. He sat on the ground in the same spot he had landed, hand rising to lightly graze his lips in shock. Zim _had_, in fact, learned the meaning of a kiss during his stay on Earth, but right now it didn't even seem to matter. The meaning had just vanished, overshadowed by the fact that he had actually _enjoyed _the kiss. He felt fluttery and light-headed and _fuzzy_. That, and it felt like his face would light on fire at any given moment.

He had kissed Dib. . . and he had liked it. Slowly, he stood up, turned, and walked away, still vaguely hearing Dib's panicked shouts towards Tak. And as he walked away, he decided there was only one explanation for all of this fluttering and face-burning and head spinning.

The universe hated Zim.

Yes, that was the only explanation for it, he was sure.


	5. 70: 67 Percent ll GaGR

**Title- 67%**

**Number- 70**

**Summary- Dib finds something rather interesting whilst surfing the web, and it turns out to be trouble for Gaz. GaGR.**

**Words- 609**

**Inspiration- I had this one planned out in advance. I choose these by random, and I just knew this one would stump me, so I was like, "I'll come up with something early!" It came sooner than expected.**

**Notes- This is only a little more GaGR than it is ZaDR, I think I sorta cheaped out on it. XD Oh, well!**

**By the way, make sure to vote on my poll, and check out my other stories! Yay!**

Dib grins at the computer screen. And this isn't one of Dib's usual, oh-so-ordinary grins, mind you. No, this grin contains traces of maniac, and anyone who might spot this grin will be questioning his sanity. . . more so than usual, that is. But that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is what's _on_ the computer screen.

Dib picks up his laptop and rushes downstairs, eager to show Gaz his new discovery.

"Gaz! _Gaz!_" he cries out as he reaches the bottom of the staircase. Gaz glances up from her Game Slave long enough to realize that she doesn't care about whatever it is that Dib is about to show her. (Not that she needs to realize it.) Dib skids to a halt in front of Gaz, holding his laptop out excitedly. "I found something I'd like to try!"

"_Please_ tell me it'll destroy all mankind, starting with your big head. . ."

"Not even close!" says Dib, hardly fazed. He hops onto the couch, holding the laptop out for Gaz to see, smiling wildly.

Gaz raises an eyebrow as she reads the title at the top of the page. "It's a love calculator. So?"

"_So?_" Dib repeats, giving his sister a look that tells Gaz she shouldn't have questioned her brother's taste in web-surfing. "I've always wanted to try one of these!"

Gaz hardly holds back a roll of the eyes. "You're such a girl. . ."

Dib narrows his eyes at her. "I am _not_! I just thought it would be fun, that's all. . . !"

"_Right_," Gaz mutters. "You just want to find out if you and Zim are meant to be or whatever. It's stupid."

Dib couldn't be a brighter shade of red. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" he replies, tripping over his words. He turns back to the laptop, determination gleaming in his eyes. "And just to prove it to you, I'll type our names in right now!"

And he does just so.

_Click._

The outcome comes with such surprise that Dib lets out a quiet gasp, his face remaining just as red as before, if not redder.

_Dib + Zim= 96%_

Gaz glances at the screen, almost snickering at the result. "There's a fine line between love and hate, Dib."

Dib turns to her, red as ever. "Oh, yeah?" He glares daggers at the violet-haired demon-child. "Well, I'll show you!" He turns back to his laptop, typing furiously.

Gaz peers over his shoulder, and upon realization, her eyes widen. "You _wouldn't_," she says, her tone warning.

A smirk creeps up the side of Dib's face. "I _would_."

_Click._

"Dammit, " Dib mumbles feebly.

_Gaz + GIR= 67%_

"Well, it's still over fifty percent!" Dib insists, sounding triumphant.

Gaz stares at the screen in a daze, feeling her face grow warm. Her. . . and GIR? Admittedly, she's thought of it before, and the thought _hadn't_ made her sick, but she truly didn't expect _Dib_ to catch on. He's usually too busy fawning over (he calls it "researching") Zim. But _sixty-seven percent_? She's not sure whether to be embarrassed or disappointed. This _is_ GIR we're talking about. . . she was hardly even sure she _was _attracted to that stupid robot!

That stupid, idiotic, clumsy, gullible, silly, cute, sweet, clueless, _loveable_ little robot. With his bright turquoise eyes and little stitched up smile and _shiny_ silver metal. . .

"Er, Gaz?"

Gaz snaps out of her trance. Well, most of the way. She looks at Dib, but she doesn't really see him. Every conscious thought is the same. _GIR, GIR, GIR._ Except for one.

_Screw the other forty-three percent._


	6. 65: Horror ll ZaDR

**Title- Horror**

**Number- 65  
**

**Summary- He really should have known. ZaDR  
**

**Inspiration- A picture I saw whilst googling.  
**

**Notes- This isn't actually horror. XD "Shock" would have been better, but. . .  
**

It really wasn't Dib's fault. How could he have known? Alright, in all honesty, he _should_ have known, considered this concerns he, himself, and no one else. Well, he supposed it _did _concern Zim; in a vague sense.

Dib had liked Tak. In a platonic sense, that is. She was a good friend and it would've stayed that way, had she not tried to take over the earth. Dib's heart had been broken—but still, he couldn't say he was in love with her.

Zita was something else entirely. He remembered being dared—well, more like _blackmailed_—into asking Zita out. He remembered the feeling—knees shaking, heart pounding, face burning, and that absolutely sick to his stomach sort of feel. But it wasn't because he _liked _Zita. Dib had known from the beginning that the dare was just a means of humiliating him; had known that Zita would reject him in front of the whole student body. It was _embarrassing_.

And then there was Gretchen. She thought Dib didn't know. Oh, he knew. But he couldn't love her. It was selfish, the way she kept her feelings locked up, hidden; and yet she laughed along with the other students when Dib was called a "freak," or "crazy." She didn't believe, he knew. If she had believed, she would have told him long ago. But no, fitting in was more important.

It always was.

To Zim, fitting in seemed to be the most important thing in the world. In reality, it was. Zim needed to fit in to keep his place on planet earth, and it was odd seeing how he miserably failed and succeeded all at once. He'd say something odd one minute, then jump up on his desk screaming, "I'm _normal_!" the next. Yet no one seemed to care. No one but Dib.

Dib had been keeping a close eye on Zim since day one. Since that very day, he had vowed to follow Zim to the ends of the earth, and he had kept his promise. Day after day he had pursued him, and day after day Zim's plans had failed.

Well, back to square one.

But the day the green boy had walked into the classroom—head held high, walking in the most abnormal fashion—something. . . clicked. Dib had a _purpose_. And that purpose was to stop Zim.

He was obsessed, he knew—but he _loved _it. Dib had never felt such a thrill as chasing Zim down the street, sneaking into his base, stopping an incoming alien invasion. Every moment he was on edge, and it was _amazing _because it was _exciting_. _Zim_ was amazing because he was exciting.

How hadn't he seen it sooner?

He had never hated aliens—just Zim. Aliens fascinated him, just as all the other paranormal did. Maybe it wasn't really Zim he hated—just the invasion, and the fact that Zim was a part of it.

Under different circumstances, could they have been friends?

If Zim's personality didn't get in the way. Zim was rude, overzealous, immature, hot-headed, dense, egotistic, overdramatic, greedy, clingy. . . the list went on. It was difficult to think of a positive thing to say about the green-skinned menace.

Yet, being in Zim's presence. . . it made Dib feel. . . well, "safe" definitely wasn't the right word. . . but secure. With Zim around, Dib could be himself, because Zim didn't care if he was crazy. They were alike, in a strange sort of way, and in that same sort of way it was comforting.

He had never had a real crush on a girl in his life. He hardly ever took his eyes off of Zim. Zim gave him a purpose. Zim was exciting. They were both crazy. Dib was the most comfortable when he was around Zim.

He really should have known.

But _no_. It wasn't until junior year of hi-skool, during PE klass, when he and Zim had lockers right next to each other, and he had curiously run his eyes over Zim's half-exposed body, only to get a refused glare in return, that it hit Dib with sledgehammers and stones—

He was gay.

That was hardly a shock, compared to the next part.

He was in love with _Zim_.


End file.
